Calvert School courses are part of a full curriculum,
covering the basics and a wide range of other subjects, all rooted in the
principles of a classical American education.

Since 1906, when Calvert School became the first formal
homeschool curriculum provider in the U.S., Calvert’s mission for its courses
has always been the same: To help children to reach their full potential.

The Calvert program, used by nearly 20,000 students this
year, is firmly rooted in the work of Virgil M. Hillyer, the school’s first
Head Master. A Harvard-trained educator, Hillyer set out, beginning in 1897, to
develop a curriculum that would create "life-long students." He
envisioned a course of study that would provide children with a deep educational
foundation as well as a healthy dose of cultural pursuits that might spark the
child’s interest in additional study in his or her later life.

Today, definitions of a classical curriculum vary, but the
Calvert curriculum Hillyer created remains true to the purest definition of a
classical American education. The Calvert School program is grounded in the
"Three Rs." Reading, writing and arithmetic are what Hillyer referred
to as the "meaty" part of an education, and Calvert students feast on
the meat in each of the 160 lessons.

Calvert students learn to read with a phonics-based program,
using Houghton-Mifflin readers. Calvert Script, the unique handwriting style
Hillyer developed using block uppercase letters and manuscript lowercase
letters, has for years proven to be easy for children to learn. Diagramming
sentences, which many scholars say is critical to developing good writing
skills, is an important part of Calvert’s upper grade instruction.

Calvert students enjoy classic English and American
literature, including works of Shakespeare, Dickinson, Frost, Hughes, Dickens,
Doyle, and Twain, to name just a few. They also devour Greek mythology in Grade
3.

The Calvert curriculum puts a great deal of focus on
composition, with students writing full compositions as early as fourth grade.
Topics for compositions often are generated from other subject areas in the
course. It is common for Calvert students to write compositions about their
literature selections or history lessons.

"The light of knowledge is expressed with real
permanency in writing, for writing is not only a skill that is taught but also a
means of embodying all varieties of learned facts," Hillyer wrote.

Calvert Math, which was developed by Calvert’s teachers to
respond to the need for more real-world problem solving, has proven successful
in developing children’s understanding of many mathematical concepts and
ideas.

History plays a large role in the Calvert curriculum, as
students develop an understanding and appreciation for ancient and modern
civilizations. They study world history and American history, with instruction
in these courses often linked to other study areas.

Other curriculum programs have kept their emphasis solely on
reading, writing, and arithmetic, while Calvert enriches its students’
education with other subject areas. "The whole realm of knowledge is the
true field of study," Hillyer explained.

Calvert students, as early as Kindergarten, are introduced to
science, history, geography, art, and music, for Hillyer believed that an
education had to be well rounded. Students learn to appreciate famous musical
pieces and classic artwork.

The Calvert School program relies on integration among
subject areas. A historic era being addressed in history might be covered in
science, literature, art history, and music. Students, Hillyer reasoned, benefit
from the ability to explore the various facets of a culture or time period. With
this subject integration, Calvert students learn to make connections among
topics, in what can be considered the first steps toward the highest level of
thinking: Evaluation.

The Calvert curriculum, tested in its private school
classrooms and written by its teachers, provides homeschooling families with all
of the benefits of the Calvert program. Lessons are written specifically for the
home teacher.

Taught with an eye toward the child’s age, Hillyer believed
students at home could absorb much of the world about them with proper
instruction. One of the books he penned, A Child’s History of the World,
remains a staple in the fourth grade Calvert curriculum. It has become a
keepsake for generations of children who love the playful, engaging,
child-friendly approach to history captured in its pages.

To ensure order in teaching, Hillyer created a system that
advocates working from general to specific. For instance, students learn about
the Earth before focusing on continents or countries. In his classrooms and in
the homeschool curriculum, Hillyer emphasized constant drilling, encouraging his
classroom teachers to vary their approach from day-to-day and task-to-task to
ensure that the drilling never became boring to students. The same holds true
for homeschool parents, who use the varied lessons, which appeal to the three
learning styles – auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.

Hillyer believed in perfection. No task was complete -- be it
memorization, a composition, or math work -- until it was perfect, and students
who use the modern Calvert curriculum continue that practice. Students learn at
an early age the benefits of revision, as they strive for perfection.

The Calvert program today takes the best of the creations of
Calvert School’s first Head Master, Virgil M. Hillyer, and applies those
innovations and ideas to lesson plans that employ the best of textbooks from
major educational publishers.

To ensure that families succeed with this rich curriculum,
Calvert offers a wide range of support, beginning with its placement testing.
Calvert seeks to determine the appropriate grade level to challenge a child
academically because students excel when properly challenged. To assist home
teachers, Calvert provides access to Education Counselors, professional teachers
who are experienced using the Calvert curriculum. Available by telephone, fax,
or e-mail, Education Counselors can provide support in the form of answering
questions or assistance with pacing instruction.

The Calvert Advisory Teaching Service offers the support of
professional teachers, who correct and evaluate student work, and return it with
a letter of support and encouragement written to the student. This service,
started by Hillyer, continues to benefit families interested in record-keeping
or an outside objective opinion on their children’s progress.

Calvert School’s time-tested classical program, while
ensuring no gaps in instruction, continues to prepare students for the future.
As Hillyer said, "School is not the preparation for life -- it is
life." R.G.